Private Lives

Act One

The play opens on the divided terrace of two hotel rooms in France. Out of one set of french windows come Elyot and Sibyl Chase. It is the first night of their honeymoon and Sibyl is deliriously happy. She teases Elyot that this is his second honeymoon and launches into a barrage of questions about Elyot’s first wife, Amanda. He is uncomfortable talking about her, but answers Sibyl’s questions about Amanda’s looks, her temperament, and the reason the marriage broke down. Sibyl is keen to place Amanda in a poor light and emphasizes how wonderfully different she is from Elyot’s first wife. Finally convincing his wife to stop talking about Amanda, Elyot decides they should go in and dress for dinner.

As Elyot and Sibyl exit, Victor and Amanda Prynne come onto the terrace from the second set of french windows. They too are on the first night of the their honeymoon and Victor is completely enamoured of his new wife. Emphasizing how much he loves Amanda, Victor begins to question